Easy Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Easy, homemade cream of mushroom soup tastes much different than the type that comes out of the can yet you can use it in most of the same ways that you use the canned type. The canned cream of mushroom soup is usually very salty, bland, and the mushroom flavor is often missing. The texture is thick and gloppy with small squares of rubbery stuff that you hope was once a mushroom.

Once you make a batch of this mushroom soup, whether you’re making it as an ingredient in a casserole recipe or as a soup course, you really won’t want to go back to opening the cans.

If you plan on using homemade cream of mushroom soup in a casserole you’ll probably want to cut back the liquid in the recipe since your homemade soup isn’t condensed, or you can follow the instructions below the recipe to make your own condensed soup.

About Mushrooms

Mushrooms can react to aluminum so don’t use aluminum foil or aluminum pans when working with them. It darkens them and can give them an off flavor.

Use any kind of mushrooms you like in this recipe. Most often button mushrooms are used but crimini, portabella, and any other type you like is fine.

Don’t wash the mushrooms. Wipe them off gently with paper towel.

There’s no reason to discard the stems when making this recipe. Chop them up and add them to the soup.

Easy Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Serves: 6 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 pound mushrooms, chopped fine. If you like a more rustic texture then chop them a bit bigger.

5 tablespoons of flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Pinot Grigio, or other crisp white wine

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the butter and the oil in a heavy three quart sauce pan until the butter is melted.

Whisk to blend the butter with the oil.

Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms – cook over low heat for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and done. Be careful – they’ll scorch easily and it will give your soup a weird flavor.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the milk, cream, and wine. Whisk constantly to keep the soup smooth.

Whisk in the soy sauce, nutmeg, and pepper.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about ten minutes, or until the soup thickens and gets creamy.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

How to Make Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

If you need to make the condensed version all you need to do is to reduce the milk down to 1 cup so that you have 1 1/2 cups of liquid total in the recipe. You can use it in any of the casseroles that you usually make with the canned versions. You can make it just as convenient as the canned by making several batches at once and freezing it in eight ounce (half-pint sized) containers. If you’d like make soup from your condensed mixture all you need to do is to add the thawed, condensed soup to a saucepan with two cups of milk or a cup of milk and a cup of cream. Warm it slowly, whisking once in awhile.

To use the condensed soup in a recipe just thaw it out and use it as you would the canned kind. No need to reduce other liquids in your recipe.

Marye Audet is an author, freelance writer, and editor. Cooking, baking, and recipe development have been a major part of her life since she baked her first loaf of bread at age 13. Luckily, with a husband, eight children, a son in law, and three grandchildren she has enough test-tasters to handle the steady stream of experiments that come from her kitchen.